Protective holders for storage and display of maps have been previously developed. See U.S. Pat. No. 446,021, Semple. This type of holder consists basically of a spool held within a cylindrical container. The container has a slot through which the map projects and may be extended or retracted for display or storage respectively.
In the past several of these containers have been linked together vertically in order to create a display for several maps. Please see U.S. Pat. No. 807,605, Dann.
Several maps or charts are quite often needed by a navigator in the course of a voyage by ship or boat. Additionally there may be severe space limitations, particularly on smaller vssels and therefore, having separate holders for each chart can become impractical. However, there is still a need to protect the charts from damage yet have convenient access to any chart. It is also useful to have the charts stored as close as possible to the plotting surfaces such as the chart table and the plotting equipment. On smaller vessels a chart table may not be provided and therefore, some form of planar surface will need to be provided for use as a plotting surface.
An object of the invention is to provide a protective, compact, storage device for several charts or other sheet media.
A further object of the invention is to provide a multiple chart storage device from which any one of the stored charts may be accessed for use.
A further object of the invention is to provide a chart storage and display device which also includes an integral plotting surface and ploting aids.